by Erin McKittrick - [ Enter: Day 14 of 49(ish) of our family's 300-mile wilderness expedition ] The clouds slipped off the sun. Lituya, my four-year-old, leaned back into the raft, legs propped on my husband Hig's lap, arms spread wide to embrace that yellow beam. "It's like a meadow of sunshine!" Katmai, my six-year-old, was in my raft, making the most of his turn with … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2017
Creating A Pollinator Garden: This spring give bees a helping hand
by Melynda Harrison - You’ve probably heard about the plight of bees. We need them for their pollination skills –one out of every three bites of food comes from plants pollinated by bees—but numbers of bees are on the decline. According the EPA, one of the factors causing the decline is lack of nutrition due to habitat loss. The good news is that we can all help restore … [Read more...]
26 Outdoor STEM Activities For Kids
by Sarah Benton Feitlinger - Outdoor STEM activities for kids are all around us and sometimes easier than you ever thought. Getting outside in nature is always a learning experience in one way or another. There are the obvious links to learning like the biology and ecology of flora and fauna, geology and geography. However, you may not have ever considered that … [Read more...]
20 More Outdoor STEM Activities for Fun Summer Learning
The world needs kids who treasure science, can conquer the latest technologies, and engineer brave solutions to solve the challenging problems of a new world. Outdoor STEM activities create the next generation of inventors, innovators, and leaders by opening up their minds to the complexities hidden in the beauty of nature. The basic concepts of STEM learning … [Read more...]
40+ Things To Do In Camden Maine – A Family Vacation Guide
By Jean Grant - From the southern beaches to West Quody Head Light, and pristine Baxter State Park to iconic Acadia National Park, a Maine family vacation can be breathtaking and exhilarating. As a Mid-Atlantic native, I had my preconceived notions about the land north and “down east” — frigid winters, lobster everything, lighthouses, blueberries, sailing, but when considering … [Read more...]
Great Gear: Butler Rockhopper Overboots Keep Mud at Bay
By Kate Spiller - As much as we want to clear our calendar and rid our weekends of errands and other obligations, the reality is, we’ve got stuff to do! On a recent Saturday, besides the main event of visiting the pumpkin patch, we were also in and out of shops and restaurants and checking things off our grocery list. The kids would absolutely need rubber boots for the muddy … [Read more...]
Rafting with Kids: The 411 for getting out on the water
by Melynda Harrison - We are bumping down a river, rafting with kids, on the border of Bosnia and Montenegro clad in wetsuits, PFDs (personal floatation devices or life jackets), and helmets. Our Balkan guide has our eight- and ten-year-old boys on either side of him, so he can keep them involved and safe. While our family owns a raft and floats down local rivers near our home … [Read more...]